When Having Enough Still Does Not Feel Like Enough
Financial Planning, Money Scripts and Money Mindsets, Retirement
Transitioning into retirement is rarely easy.
I met with a client earlier today who is fast approaching her planned retirement and feels deeply uneasy about the shift ahead. On paper, she has sufficient resources to last her lifetime. She has saved consistently, planned carefully and done everything “right”.
She said to me:
“I know I have enough. But I do not know how to stop accumulating and start relying on what I have.”
This is far more common than people realise. And spreadsheets are rarely the answer.
Why can retirement feel so unsettling?
For decades, work provides structure, income and reassurance. Savings grow, pensions build up and there is a clear sense of forward motion.
Retirement reverses that direction.
Income from work stops.
Savings are no longer something you add to.
They become something you depend on.
Even when the numbers stack up, emotionally this can feel like stepping into unknown territory. This is often when our money scripts become much louder.
In this case, I sensed a strong money vigilance script. My client has built her security through careful saving and restraint. Letting go of further accumulation feels unsafe, even when it is no longer necessary.
For decades, staying alert, frugal and prepared made complete sense.
The challenge in retirement is not that you were too careful in the past. It is that the same level of vigilance may no longer be required in the same way.
A helpful question to reflect on is:
🟢 Is this concern about money coming from current reality, or from habits that once kept me safe?
Things to Reflect On in the Run-Up to Retirement
🟢Recognise that caution has been a strength, not a mistake
🟢Expect some discomfort when shifting from saving to spending
🟢Practise using money intentionally before retirement begins
🟢Notice when responsibility turns into unnecessary deprivation
🟢Redefine what financial responsibility looks like in this phase of life
Retirement is not about abandoning discipline. It is about allowing the security you have built to support your life, not just protect against risk.
